The International Society of Automation (www.isa.org) is a nonprofit professional association that sets the standard for those who apply engineering and technology to improve the management, safety, and cybersecurity of modern automation and control systems used across industry and critical infrastructure. Founded in 1945, ISA develops widely used global standards; certifies industry professionals; provides education and training; publishes books and technical articles; hosts conferences and exhibits; and provides networking and career development programs for its 36,000 members and 350,000 customers around the world.

ISA owns Automation.com, a leading online publisher of automation-related content, and is the founding sponsor of The Automation Federation (www.automationfederation.org), an association of non-profit organizations serving as “The Voice of Automation.” Through a wholly owned subsidiary, ISA bridges the gap between standards and their implementation with the ISA Security Compliance Institute (www.isasecure.org) and the ISA Wireless Compliance Institute (www.isa100wci.org).

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ISA members have access to dozens of unique benefits. Update your member profile, set your communications preferences, find products and services that are right for you, and more – all from the convenience of your ISA website.

ISA has the resources and expert networks that you need – no matter what position you hold in our industries. Browse the products and services designed to meet the needs of these common industry roles:

ISA awarded me a 2013-2014 scholarship to help fund my education. I would not have been able to keep going to school if I had not received it. So, I want to give thanks to the many people of the ISA who work on securing the future of the organization just as the original founders had. ISA was and is forged and founded from true honesty and integrity that you will not find in to many other professions.

All ISA certification exams are closed book. No reference material may be brought in to the test site. For CCST Levels I and III, Units Conversion Tables will be provided to candidates in either paper format for paper/pencil exams or as part of a PDF file for electronic exams for reference during the examination. Click here to review the Units Conversion Tables.

For international applicants, please note that the validation study for the exams was done in the United States so there may be questions on the exam that reference US standards and codes. For a reference of possible US standards and codes to review for each exam, see below:

Electronic Exam Testing Windows

Each year, the CAP and CCST exams are available electronically during three testing windows. Each exam testing window will have a deadline for applications to be considered for testing in that window. Eligible candidates will only be able to test during the testing windows.

As of 1 January 2011, the candidate eligibility window, or testing window, has been extended to twelve (12) consecutive months. Once your application is approved, testing must be completed within your assigned twelve-month testing window which is based on your application submission/postmark date. Please allow six (6) weeks for application review and notification of eligibility to test and testing window assignment.

In order to schedule an exam, you will need to send your completed application by the specified application deadline for your preferred exam testing window. The application deadlines and testing windows are as follows:

Exam Testing Window

Exam Application Postmark/Submission Deadline

Exam Application Postmark/Submission Timeframe

Window 1: 1 March 2015 – 28 February 2016

Thursday, 15 January 2015

16 September 2014- 15 January 2015

Window 2: 1 July 2015 – 30 June 2016

Friday, 15 May 2015

16 January - 15 May 2015

Window 3: 1 November 2015 – 31 October 2016

Tuesday, 15 September 2015

16 May - 15 September 2015

Your first exam testing date and all rescheduling and retesting must be scheduled during the testing window for which you are approved to test.

You may reschedule your exam once, and the rescheduled date must be during your approved testing window.

You may schedule up to two (2) retests during your approved twelve-month testing window. Each retest must be scheduled a minimum of 30 days after your last exam date (this includes your initial exam date).

If you do not successfully pass the CAP or CCST exam within your twelve-month testing window, you must reapply for the exam by submitting a new application and fee. Once approved you will be given a new twelve-month testing window based on your application submission/postmark date.

Special Event Exam Dates

ISA offers our certification exams in a paper/pencil format at some special events. Click the certification program below to see these special paper/pencil exam dates:

ISA certification exams can be scheduled for private sites/companies in the United States and will be administered as paper/pencil exams. Click the following link to review information on scheduling a private test site in the United States.

ATTENTION: Private exams will no longer be scheduled outside the United States.

If you apply for electronic testing and determine that you will take the ISA CAP or CCST review course that has a paper/pencil exam the day after the course, you must contact ISA to change your exam format and exam date. If you do not, there will not be materials available for you to test during the paper/pencil exam. You must notify ISA of this change at least thirty (30) days in advance of the paper/pencil exam date. You will then receive a confirmation letter, rather than an eligibility letter, which you must bring with you to be admitted in to the paper/pencil exam room.

If you have applied for a paper/pencil exam with a review course where the fee for the exam was waived (by completing both the exam application and the separate course registration), and you wish to change to electronic testing, you must notify ISA and send the application fee to ISA to change your exam format. You will then receive an eligibility letter, rather than a confirmation letter, which you will need to schedule your electronic exam. Please be advised that you will be assigned a twelve-month testing window based on the postmark/submission date of your application fee. This means, the next testing window, as outlined above, may not be open immediately after you have completed the review course.